This invention relates to the field of winches, and more particularly to a windlass for raising and lowering a boat anchor.
A typical boat anchoring system includes a rode, which is a rope connected to a chain. The rode is attached to the anchor. A windlass pulls the rode to raise the anchor, and pays out the rode to lower the anchor. A typical windlass has a chainwheel, which is a sheave configured to grip both the rope and the chain. A pressure finger pivots at one end and is spring loaded against the rode. The pressure finger keeps the rode from slipping off the chainwheel. However, the pressure finger does a poor job of retaining the rode on the chainwheel. The pressure finger abrades the rope, and often allows the rope or chain to climb out of the chainwheel, fouling or jamming or damaging the rode. The rode can impact the tensioning mechanism and damage the swivel pin, which is used to guide the rode into the anchor chain locker. Conventional windlasses can allow the rode to drag across the ocean floor, becoming abraded and swollen. The rode is then no longer uniform in size and surface texture, and can run off the chainwheel or break, resulting in injury to a crewmember. The rode winding around an open or partly enclosed chainwheel can trap and injure fingers, hands, and feet.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide an anchor windlass for boats that can guide the rode surely and consistently onto the chainwheel, and prevent the rode from climbing or slipping off the chainwheel.
There is a further need to provide an anchor windlass of the type described and that will not damage, abrade, or break the rode.
There is a yet further need to provide an anchor windlass of the type described and that will safely haul the anchor without endangering the crew.
There is a still further need to provide an anchor windlass of the type described and that will guide the rode into the chain locker without fouling.
There is another need to provide an anchor windlass of the type described and that can be manufactured cost-effectively in large quantities of high quality.